Best Bargain Art Shop (2012)

The hands that created the art seen at Las Manos Mágicas might very well have magic in them. The shop has been around since the early '70s and built a solid reputation for itself as the place in Houston for affordable artwork, especially by regional and Latin American artisans, as well as by self-taught and outsider talents. Owner Madeleine Crozat-Williams, an expert on Mexican folk art, makes a couple of big buying trips a year, visiting individual workshops and studios to hand-pick new paintings, sculptures, textiles, jewelry and tinwork. By buying directly from the artists, Crozat-Williams ensures quality and low prices for her customers, as well as a fair price for the artists. Among the works you'll likely see at Manos Mágicas are painted ceramic figures by Josefina Aguilar from Oaxaca, who's world-famous for showing everyday village life and religious scenes. There are also one-of-a-kind garden pots by Doña Dolores Porras, also from Oaxaca, and Día de los Muertos skeletons by Saulo Moreno, from Michoacán. But Manos doesn't focus exclusively on Latin American artists. The shop also carries beadwork from India, baskets from Nigeria and needlework from Uzbekistan, among other treasures. And all of it is at amazingly affordable prices.